Everything you need to know about sticking to your new year resolutions

Whether you are a pro new years revolutionist or not, chances are at some time in your life, you’ve made a commitment to improve something in the new year — and then broken it. Research says one quarter of people give up their resolutions after just one week, while fewer than one in 10 will stay consistent with their goals throughout the year.

I’m 50/50 with resolutions, in fact this year I decided not to set New Year resolutions but intentions instead. Probably thinking same thing right? Resolutions feel like an all or nothing kind of commitment, and if it doesn’t work, I feel like we tend to forget that we have 365 days to start again. Intentions are like the building bricks to the bigger picture, it’s more about the journey. The catch is that you can’t just set your intentions and run off; you need to live them every day.

Here’s everything you need to know about sticking to your new years resolutions.

Don’t beat yourself up

My issue with resolutions is that we aim for absolute perfection, which is just not possible and can put ourselves down for failing. So what you slip in the first month, good thing you’ve got 11 more months to try again. Just because you’ve stopped your winning streak doesn’t mean you’ve lost.

It’s ok to adjust

You may have visualised a goal that attracted you to the beginning of the year, but as you try to apply it, your motives might change. Allow yourself to make amendments, priorities naturally change and it’s ok to act accordingly.

Hold yourself accountable

Putting your goals out there for people to hear can help keep yourself on board. Document your progress on paper, use social media or tell someone about what you want to achieve, communicating your intentions is a great way to seek support and determination from others that’ll help hold yourself accountable.

Break down your goals

I am here for setting big goals, why not aim high?! But… realistically you are going to have to dig deeper and break it down into smaller intentions first. Think of it as the building bricks to your overall goal, rephrasing your big resolution into smaller parts not only will increase positive reinforcement but will you a better sense of direction and a reasonable time frame for your goal. The more details and parameters you have, the clearer it will be to reach your goal.

I hope you liked reading my tips on sticking with your new years resolutions. If you feel like you’ve messed up already, hey join the club, cut yourself some slack because there’s plenty more new days to consistently try again.